I guess I'm not good enough
by TeamAnime
Summary: this is a story about Imadori and Karen. I really like this couple, i think they're cute. this story is a series of cute,embarrasing,funny, and dramatic events between these two characters and their friends. DISCONTINUED-READ AT YOUR OWN RISK OF ATTACHMENT
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Guys, I know that I kind of broke my promise for my last story about me updating on a regular basis, (Actually **_**all**_** of my stories) and I apologize but I'm not gonna promise that again cause I don't know how this one is going to work out, so yeah. I'm really excited about this one though! This will be from a third-person point of view, unless I say, blah blah blah "Mikoto's point of view", you get the idea. Please note that I do not own School Rumble or **_**any**_** of its characters. Alright, well I hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 1**

Beep! Beep! Beep! Karen Ichijou stretched her arm out and pushed the button on her clock. The alarm

stopped and Karen sat up in a sleepy daze. "Oww, my head hurts this morning" She thought to herself.

Karen swung her legs over the side of her bed, and yawned stretching her arms. She looked down at her toes and all of the sudden remembered that the night before she had been up late working out on her weight lifting machine.

She had been really pumped and excited about something."Hmm… What was it?" She thought. As Karen remembered a big smile spread across her face and her eyes lit up. "Oh that's right; Imadori and I have day duty today!" She recalled. "HEY! SIS! TIME FOR BREAKFAST!" Her little brother called up the stairs.

"Coming!" Karen called back. She happily jumped up and ran over to open the door. "Hey Kouske, tell mom that I'm gonna take a shower first!" she yelled, running into the bathroom.

"I'm so excited! It's seldom that I even get to _talk_ to Imadori. We're both always so busy with our lives.

Me with my wrestling, and him with his…_dating_…" Karen thought. "The last time we formally saw each other was I think that visit to my house. That was fun, but it _was_ unexpected."

Karen stripped down and sat down on the small stool. She turned on the shower and washed her dark green hair. "I hope I'm not going to have to ask Mikoto for help again." Karen said to herself. She scrubbed her hair, and rinsed it. Turning the water off she thought, "Either way, I can't mess this up. I _could_ not talk to him for a while after this for all I know."

She stood up, wrapped a towel around herself, and walked into the hallway. She opened her door and walked over to her window. "It's a nice day…" She said to herself. Karen walked over to her dresser and opened the top drawer getting out underwear and a bra and then opening the second and pulling out her school uniform.

As she got dressed, she imagined how it would go. She grabbed her school bag before pulling open the door, and running downstairs. "Bye mom!" Karen said as she passed her running through the kitchen to the door. "But you haven't even had breakfast yet!" Her mother said, panicked.

"Don't worry about it Mom. I'm not hungry today." Karen said with a sweet smile as she opened the door. "Bye!" She said giving a half-bow, before running out to the road.

While Karen was walking, she looked across the street and saw Sarah and Yakumo walking together. "Hey, Sarah! Yakumo!" She called. They looked over, saw her, and waved. Karen ran over to them happily. "Hey guys!" Karen said, smiling. They started walking and Sarah asked, "What's got you in such a good mood?" "Oh nothing really, Imadori and I just have day duty today is all and I guess you could say I'm excited." Karen replied, blushing slightly. "HUH!" Sarah gasped. "You don't mean you _like_ that perv do you?" She asked. "What? Should…Should I not?" Karen asked, surprised by Sarah's bewildered look.

"Well, it isn't that you _shouldn't_ exactly…" Sarah said, embarrassed that she was explaining this to her. "It's just that…well…There are allot nicer guys in our school you know…HeHeHe" She laughed nervously. Karen smiled sweetly. "Oh, no. Imadori is just…he's just…" Her smile faded a little bit. "I know that…he likes talking to girls and…hanging out with girls and… maybe going on dates with girls but…"

"If you look beyond that, he seems like a really sweet guy." Karen said her smile back again. Sarah bit her lip and attempted to push her blond bangs out of her face. "Well I don't know about that, but if you really like him I could probably help you out. Ya know? Give you some advice maybe?" Sarah said.

"Oh really? Thank you so much!" Karen smiled, bowing deeply. "Uh, I don't know that that's such a good idea, Sarah." Yakumo finally spoke up. "Your ideas just never seem to work is all." She continued.

"Oh have a little faith in your friend Yakumo!" Sarah said smiling. "Here, I bet I have something in my backpack that might help." She said, stopping to open it up.

She rummaged through the front pocket before saying, "Ah ha!" and pulling out a little plastic package and opening it up. She pulled out 2 little ear phones and handed one to Karen. "Um…What is this exactly Sarah?" Karen asked, examining it. "It's a listening chip! My cousin is into technology and he's always trying to get me to sell his shop's stuff to my classmates. My backpack's full of them!" She said smiling.

Karen's face turned red. "But Sarah, isn't that cheating?" Karen asked nervously. "Of course not." She said. "Don't worry about it Karen, I've got it covered. I'll just tell you what to say and you say it, alright?" She continued. "Well…ok…." Karen said.

By then they were at school, and they split up, Sarah and Yakumo going to their class, and Karen to hers, Karen being 1 year older than them. It seemed like lunch couldn't come soon enough for Karen.

Karen went out into the hall to find Imadori, and instead Sarah found her. "Hey, are you ready?" She asked. "Yeah, I just came out to find Imadori." Karen said. "Ok, good." Sarah said looking around her for any site of him.

"Hey, Sarah, are you sure that this is a good idea?" Karen asked nervously. "Of course. Don't worry about it Karen, just say what I say when you guys get to the storage room ok?" She asked. "Yeah, ok." Karen said, walking away to find Imadori.

"Oh I guess I should put the chip in now." Karen said to herself, casually slipping it into her ear pretending that she was scratching it.

"Sarah, can you hear me?" She whispered. It didn't seem like anybody was going to hear her anyway, seeing as how the halls were packed with laughing students. "Yeah I hear you." Sarah's voice came through the chip.

Over all of the heads of course though, Karen saw some messy orange hair. "She ran over and stood behind him. "I can't believe she rejected me though, I mean I'm so charming!" Imadori was saying to his friends.

"Um…Imadori?" Karen said. …no response. "I mean why would she say no? I just don't understand it." He continued. "Uh, maybe it's because you're a playing perv?" One of the boys said.

"You know, I think all of the boys in this school are somewhat perverted. I'm just proud enough to show it." Karen tapped on his shoulder. He turned around and his excited face of maybe turning to a cute girl, suddenly turned to disappointment.

"Oh. hey, what's up Ichi." He sighed. Karen immediately started blushing like crazy. "Hey, Imadori!" Sarah said in a flirty way through the chip. "Say that!" Sarah said. "Umm…Hey…Imadori…" Karen said, allot less confidently and allot less flirtatiously."So what is it?" He asked, yawning.

"Well, we have day duty today again, remember?" Karen said nervously. "Ugh, that's right." He said, annoyed. "Well, let's go." He said, Putting his hands in his pockets and walking down the hall to the storage room. Karen smiled and ran after him happily.

They opened the door and as they walked inside and shut the door Imadori said, "I don't get why they keep putting us together for day duty. It's so annoying." Karen immediately froze.

"What?" She thought. "It's…annoying?" "That was rude!" Sarah said angrily through the chip. Not even thinking about what Sarah had said, Karen copied.

"That was rude." Karen said. Imadori turned around and look at her, his eyebrows raised. Realizing what she had just said, Karen clapped her hand to her mouth not believing what had just come out of it. Through the chip she heard Sarah gasp. There was a moment of silence before…

"I'M SO SORRY!" Karen said loudly. She started bowing spastically over and over. "I don't know what I was thinking! I mean I get that sometimes it gets annoying when you're with the same person all the time I guess! And I'm just _really really_ sorry!"

"Whatever, forget it." Imadori said walking over to the shelves and starting to move the small things to their right places.

Karen stood up straight and watched him. She sighed sadly and started helping. Sarah didn't say anything after that. "So Ichi, any plans for the summer?" Imadori asked boredly. "Well I'm going to my uncle's house for the summer. He has a boat that we go out to the ocean in. He lives on a beach. And it's Ichijou by the way so please stop calling me Ichi"

She said, still very shocked at the last words out of his mouth. _Annoying_. "A boat, huh? That sounds like fun."

**Karen's memory of the boat: A nice small cabin boat.**

**Imadori's imagination of the boat: A large cruise ship**

"Can I come?" He said suddenly. "WHAT!" Karen said, surprised at his question. "Uh, no, I don't think that's possible. No. I'm sorry." Imadori started whining like a puppy.

"Oh come on Ichi, the whole gang can come. Please?" He begged. "Uh, maybe. I'll have to ask my uncle if it's ok though." She said blushing. "YAY!" He yelled. He ran out and down the hall. "Wait Imadori!" We aren't finished yet!" She called after him.

"I guess I'll have to finish it myself." She thought. "Ugh, the nerve of that guy! Inviting himself to go on vacation with you! How rude is that?" Sarah finally spoke, and Karen didn't answer. "Um…Karen?" Sarah asked nervously.

Karen collapsed on a bench. "It's so annoying that they keep paring us up!" The words echoed in Karen's head. "Karen? KAREN? KAREN!" Sarah started saying. Karen pulled the ear phone out of her ear and clicked the switch off.

"Is is really that terrible for him when he spends time with me? I mean, what is it? Am I unattractive?" Karen thought to herself. She started crying as she thought about it. She bent over and covered her face with her hands. She ran out of the room and down the hall as fast as she could. She made a tight turn into the girls' bathroom.

There she had a complete meltdown on the floor. Each new possibility of why he didn't like her conjured a brand new sob. She heard footsteps come up behind her. Her first thought was Sarah. "_Sarah, I'm grateful that you tried to help me but I'd really like you to leave me alone right now!_" She cried.

She felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She could also tell it was bigger than Sarah's. She turned and who would be standing there but Imadori. "OH MY GOODNESS! IMADORI WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THE GIRLS' BATHROOM!" She yelled standing up. "Uh… I was…Looking for _you_!" Imadori laughed nervously.

"It's ok that you ran off. I finished by myself, it was fine." Karen said, trying to remove the evidence that she had been crying. "Really, it's all ok, so you can just go now. Good-bye!" She said laughing fakely and waving.

She turned her head away and felt her chin gently pulled back in the other direction by Imadori's warm hand. With his other he put a finger under her eye and caught a tear. She couldn't read the expression on his face. It wasn't really a kind face, but it wasn't a mean face either. More like his everyday bored expression.

"Why are you crying?" He asked casually. Karen didn't know how to respond to that. "Um… nothing." She said nervously. A goofy smile spread across his face. "Ya know, you shouldn't listen to what I say. I just don't know when to shut up is all." He laughed, nervously scratching his head.

Karen was amazed. "Umm…What?" She said not knowing what to make of what he just said. "I'd think that _you _Ichi_,_ of all people would know that I'm kind of an idiot." He laughed. Right when she started to cheer up, Imadori chose the wrong time to mooch off of her.

His face was suddenly uncomfortably close to hers. "But seriously though, how about we don't tell anybody that I was in here ok?" He said. Karen's smile twitched. Until it was gone completely. "Ok?" He asked.

"Of course" Karen thought to herself. "He was being nice so that I wouldn't tell he was creeping in the girls' bathroom. I feel like such an idiot." She thought. All of a sudden, Karen face was a dark cloud. She grabbed his wrist and violently pried his hand off her face.

She stormed over to the door. "Ichi what is it?" Imadori asked timidly. Karen whipped around and her eyes weren't full of anger. Oh no. It was worse. It was much worse. They were full of pain. And she had already started crying again. To Imadori's surprise, she bowed deeply to him. "I'm sorry, Imadori!" She cried, standing up.

"Uh, why?" He asked. "I'm sorry that I'm not good enough to deserve you. And I'm sorry that all I'm ever going to mean to you is that I'm the girl who you can easily get whatever you want from. You take advantage of my feelings for you knowingly. I'm sorry that you can't see how much that hurts me. _That's _why I'm sorry." With that, she turned on her heel, stormed out the door and that was that.

**And there it is. The first chapter. I hope the rest of it isn't going to be quite as dramatic as this chapter was, but I've liked this pair since they met in the series. Please leave a review and tell me what you think!**

**-Team Anime**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, here is my 2nd chapter. I'm hoping it won't be as dramatic as the last one. So I hope you enjoy it!**

**Btw, there will be a few Japanese words/phrases in here, so I'll put them all here, at the top.**

**Arigato: thank you**

**Domo arigato: thank you very much**

**Sore dewa: Goodbye**

**Hai: Yes**

**Oji: Uncle**

**Chapter 2**

Karen flopped down on her bed, exhausted from what had happened that day. "Wow." She said to herself. "Maybe I was being too dramatic. I mean, how could _I_ think that I would ever be with _Imadori_, the class flirt?"

_Bzz_! _Bzz_! _Bzz_! Karen heard her cell phone buzzing from somewhere in her room.

"My cell phone!" She snapped up and rushed around her room looking for it. "Where is it?" She panicked. "Finally!" She unclasped her school bag and pulled out her phone. "Could it be? Is _he_ calling?" She thought hopefully.

She opened the phone…and… "_Megumi Calling! Megumi calling! Megumi calling!_" Karen read silently to herself. A little bit disappointed, Karen pressed the talk button and held the phone to her ear. "Hey Karen! What's up?" Megumi said. "Hey Megumi." Karen said, perking up a little bit.

"I heard that you had some trouble with _Imadori_ in the _girls' bathroom_ today at school! Are you alright? He didn't try to touch you or anything did he?" Megumi yelled through the phone. "WHAT! How do you know about that!" Karen answered. "So he did try to touch you! Oh I'm gonna lay that pervert out at school tomorrow!" Megumi said.

"No! Don't! HE DIDN'T LAY A HAND ON ME!" Karen yelled. "Oh. Well don't spaz out Ichijou. It 's my _job _to worry about you as your friend. So what happened?" Megumi asked. "Umm…well…" Karen explained everything that had happened.

"Ugh, I see…" Megumi said, once Ichijou was finished. "So you actually took _Sarah's_ advice?" She said. "Well…yes… Should…Should I not have?" Karen asked, surprised. "Well, It isn't really that you shouldn't have, it's just that, her plans never really work." Megumi said. "I mean, don't get me wrong, she's a really nice girl and all, it's just that…well…you know what I mean." She continued.

Karen sighed. "I guess, Yakumo said the same thing." "Oh hey! I'll call Tsumugi! We can have a three-way chat!" Megumi suggested excitedly. "Um, yes…yes that's a good idea!" Karen agreed, brightening up considerably. "Ok just one sec." Megumi said happily. She went off the line for a few moments, until Ichijou heard Tsumugi's voice saying, "Hello? Karen?"

Karen sat down cross-legged on her bed, as she explained what had happened one more time to Megumi and Tsumugi. "Wow." Tsumugi said. "_Bzz! Bzz! Bzz!_" "Hey guys, I have another call, ok? So I have to go." Karen said. "Oh, well ok. See you tomorrow Ichijou." Megumi said. "Yeah, and good luck with the whole Imadori thing." Tsumugi said. "Oh, but guys? I have to ask you something." Karen said timidly.

"Sure. What is it?" They asked. "Umm…well I…" Karen fussed with the braid in her hair, as she did when she was nervous. "Um…How many people…know about...that?" Karen asked cautiously, almost scared of the words coming from her own mouth. Megumi sighed. "Do you really want to know?" Tsumugi asked. "Yes. I want to know!" Karen said confidently, but nervously at the same time.

"OK…probably our entire grade by now." Megumi said it quickly so that she didn't waste any time. "WHAT!" Karen yelled. "Hey don't you have that other call? He he." Tsumugi said nervously. "Yeah, we've got to go too." Megumi followed. "Bye!" They said, before hanging up.

Karen pressed the off button too, and switched to the other person calling her thinking, "My life is over now. Our entire grade knows now." "Hello?" She said drearily. "Ichi?" She heard that same familiar voice. "Is that Imadori? He's the only one I know of who calls me Ichi…" Ichijou thought to herself.

"Umm…yes? Who is this?" She said nervously. "It's me, Ichi." Imadori said, boredly. "Oh…hi…Ima..dori…" She said, blushing. Her heart was beating fast. She was so embarrassed about talking to him after what had happened."So, about today, I figured we should straighten this out, because if we don't, it might be bad for my reputation.

"Umm…No… it's ok… I over-reacted." Karen said. "Alright. That took a lot less effort than I thought it would. Ok, see you tomorrow Ichi." Imadori said, before hanging up. Karen sighed, and lowered the phone from her ear.

"Oh that's right, I have to ask my uncle about taking Imadori and the rest for the trip!" Karen remembered. She quickly dialed the phone number and held the phone to her ear. "Hello?" Her uncle said. "Oji?" Karen said happily. "It's me, Karen!" She said. "Oh hey there sweety!" He said kindly.

"Is it a special occasion or something?" He asked. "Umm…not exactly, but you know how you said that I could bring a couple friends if I wanted to, on the boating trip?" She said. "Yes." "Well, I have a bit more than a _few_ in mind, but…" "Oh sure. How many?" "Really? Are you sure? I wouldn't want to impose on you. And I'm sure they wouldn't either." Karen said excitedly.

"Of course I'm sure. Any friend of my niece is my friend too. Now, how many?" He asked. "Umm…let me count." Karen said happily. She counted all of them on her fingers. "I think 9, if I counted correctly." She said. "Oh. That _is_ a lot. I'll work it out though." Her uncle said.

"Oh, arigato oji! Domo arigato!" Karen said happily. "Sore dewa. And arigato again!" Karen said, before hanging up. She lowered the phone from her ear, wondering what had just happened. "_Imadori_...just..._called_ me." She said slowly to herself. "Ah ha! Imadori just called me! IMADORI JUST CALLED ME!" She yelled, having a silent excited fit.

"Wait a second. How did he even get my number? Oh well. I'm glad we cleared things up." She once again fell back on her bed.

"SIS, WILL YOU _SHUT UP_!"

The next day, Karen walked into class extra happy. She walked over and sat down next to Megumi. "Why are you so happy this morning?" Megumi asked sleepily, obviously still tired from staying up talking to Karen all night long the night before.

"Oh, nothing really." Karen replied, smiling sweetly. Karen turned around and looked as Imadori entered the classroom. When he walked passed her, Karen said, "Um...Hi Imadori!" He turned around and talked to her with an uninterested look.

"Oh, hey Ichi." "I called my Oji yesterday. He said that the whole gang could come!" She continued happily. She could almost _feel_ Megumi and Tsumugi's penetrating gaze that said, _what_ are you _doing_?

"Oh great." He said, obviously distracted by something. "Um...Imadori?" Karen asked cautiously, not wanting to wake him from his daze. She looked in the direction that he was looking, and saw Mikoto talking to Tenma, Eri and Akira. "Oh...of course." Karen thought to herself sadly. "Well, bye Imadori!" Karen said, putting on a fake smile.

Imadori was suddenly pulled out of his daze, (slightly) and looked back at Karen. "Oh, yeah, bye." He said, hurrying away to his desk.

For all of class that day, Megumi and Tsumugi noticed that Karen was very withdrawn, and they saw her occasionally looking back and forth between Mikoto and Imadori, obviously in very deep thought.

At lunch, Karen walked into the hall, not even conscious of where her feet were going. "I keep forgetting. Imadori likes Mikoto. Not me. He would never even give me a second glance." She thought to herself. She smiled sadly at her obvious denial, looking down at the floor.

"Hey Karolyn!" Karen turned around and saw Tenma waving to her from down the hall. Standing next to her of course was Mikoto,(The last person Karen wanted to talk to at that point) Eri and Akira.

Tenma ran over to her, and the rest followed. "Hi Tenma. And It's just Karen, not Karolyn ok? So please stop calling me that." Karen said as sweetly as she could. "Don't worry about it. She has a bad habit with names. She picked up _Miko_ from Imadori." Mikoto said, smiling widely.

Karen looked at her shyly. "But she's so nice. Maybe it would be better if Imadori was with her. He would obviously be happy with her, where as with me..." Karen thought to herself, and she felt as if she had just been struck by lightning as she realized, "I'm just an annoyance to him."

"Hey! Ichijou!" Karen fell out of her daze as Mikoto snapped her fingers in front of Karen's face. "Oh sorry! I spaced out for a second." Karen said, sighing sadly. "Um...don't worry about it." Mikoto said, looking strangely at Karen.

"Well, bye!" Karen said putting on a fake smile, before walking away. Mikoto watched her walk away, feeling uneasy. "Bye Karolyn!" Tenma called after Karen. "Mikoto." Mikoto turned around to see Eri gazing at her. "What is it?" Eri said. It sounded more like a command that she tell her, than a question.

"I don't know. It's just... Have you noticed that Ichijou has been really withdrawn lately?" Mikoto responded. "Yeah, I have." Eri said, watching Karen walk away.

"I'll bet we can find out why from Imadori." Mikoto continued. "Why do you say that?" "Because He's the one that Karen is in love with. He's the one she'd do _anything_ for" Mikoto turned around and scanned the hall for a sign of Imadori. When she saw him talking to Kozue she called, "Hey, Imadori, get over here!" Kozue looked over, saw Mikoto, and glared in annoyance.

"COMING MIKOTO!" Imadori rushed over. "Are you finally ready to accept my unbearable attractiveness?" "Actually, I wanted to talk about Karen." She said angrily. "Ah, I get it. Your jealous because I've been talking to her so much, right?"

"Back off!" She yelled, maybe a bit too loudly. "Look," She started, in a low voice. "Something's been up with Karen, and I think you know why. I heard that something happened in the bathroom the other day. The _girls'_ bathroom to be precise. She said, her nerves getting worked up just thinking about it.

"This is awkward but," She suddenly sprung up on him scarily and whispered in his ear, you know that if you tried to touch her, your signed up for a beating. First from me, and then anyone else who wants to give ya a swift kick in the pants.

"Um...Mikoto, that's not what-" Imadori started, but Mikoto didn't let him finish. "Listen up Imadori," She said, this time in a normal tone, putting her hand on her hip. "You can't force yourself on a girl who isn't ready." "Uh, Miko-" "If Karen shows any signs that she isn't ready, you back off, got it!" "Miko! Yoo-hoo!" "No, listen to me Imadori." Mikoto said, softening. Imadori suddenly stopped trying to get her attention and listened, one eyebrow raised.

"Karen is the kind of girl who doesn't really know how to say no. She isn't like most of the girls you've been on dates with, Imadori. She won't know how to deal with a "one time thing" ok?" She finished finally.

"You think I don't know that?" Imadori said angrily. "I-Imadori I didn't-" Mikoto was surprised at how serious he was being. Imadori started walking away but stopped and turned around. "Nothing happened in the bathroom. And even if something had, I isn't your place to tell me that I shouldn't be "Forcing myself" Suou."

Mikoto didn't even know what to say to that. She had never seen him so angry before. "How much of a jerk do you think I am? I would never do something like that to Karen. Do you really think I'm so stupid that I think she would be able to handle that?"

This was when Mikoto's nerves reached the breaking point. "OF COURSE I WOULD THINK THAT! YOUR ALWAYS PRETENDING TO BE INTRESTED IN HER SO YOU CAN GET WHAT YOU WANT AND THEN BLOW HER OFF! HOW DO YOU THINK THAT MAKES HER FEEL, IMADORI! JEEZ, THINK ABOUT ICHIJOU'S FEELINGS EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE!" Mikoto let it all out in one big blow before storming off.

**Second chapter! I've never gotten to a second chapter that I thought, I really want to keep going! But with this one, I do! And be expecting more really soon. perhaps tomorrow? If not, I promise day after tomorrow. Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**OMG! 3rd CHAPTER! I CAN'T WAIT! THIS IS GONNA BE SO EPIC! I don't know how many chapters I'm going to do, but I'm hoping to make it to 30, since it's a series of events. Well anyway, let's get started!**

**But first, you guessed it,**

**Japanese Words/phrases:**

**All on last page**

**Gomen-Nasai: I'm Sorry**

**Chapter 3:**

"Who does she think she is? I'm not that much of a jerk! And I never do any of those things to Ichi!" Imadori seethed, as he walked away from the scene of the crime, where he and Mikoto had just quarreled, ending with her storming off in rage, and him doing the same.

Soon he saw Karen standing at the end of the corridor, talking to Megumi-chan and Tsumugi-chan. "Hey! Ichi!" He called. She turned to him, and smiled sweetly as she gave a slight wave. He walked over, trying to give off his everyday bored vibe.

"What is it Imadori? We're trying to have a conversation." Megumi said rudely. (Karen had just told them about what he said on the phone. hint*hint) "Well, ya know, this would be allot more entertaining if you three weren't so flat chested, but what can ya do? And anyway, I need to talk to Ichi." He retorted, just as rudely.

"I think you've said quite enough to Karen for one-I don't know, _lifetime_, maybe?" Megumi and Imadori went back and forth, an obvious tension on the point of breaking into yelling rage.

"Um...Megumi-chan, it's alright." Karen started in shyly. Imadori gave a satisfied grin to Megumi.

Megumi growled violently deep in her throat. "But I'm not done with him yet!" She fought Karen and Tsumugi's hands trying to hold her back. "Megumi-chan, I know you want to hit him, And I want to as well, but that's not a good idea!" Tsumugi said.

"Megumi-chan, I appreciate that you two have stood by me, but I need to handle this by myself!" Tsumugi and Megumi both stopped squirming, and stared at Karen. "O-OK." Megumi said, relaxing and pulling back.

As Karen and Imadori walked over to the side of the hall, Tsumugi turned to Megumi with a serious, yet soft look on her face. "Megumi-chan, I know that you want to make him pay for what he's put Karen-chan through, but for her sake, please, let her handle this." Tsumugi begged.

"We think, once we slap him a couple times, he'll never come near her again, and it will all be ok. But that isn't it, Megumi-chan. If he never wants anything to do with her again, imagine how much pain Karen-chan would go through. Our Karen is in love with Imadori-kun, and although we may not like it, for her sake, we can't drive him away from her. As her friends, it's our job to bring them closer together, not farther apart. Ok?" Megumi stared at Tsumugi. "I never knew so many words could come out of _your_ mouth." She teased slightly.

Tsumugi smiled, and looked over at Imadori and Karen. "I wonder what they're talking about..." There was a moment of silence before... "AHHH!" "WHAT IF HE'S CONFESSING LOVE TO HER?" "NO, I SMIPLY COULDN'T ALLOW OUR KAREN TO DATE THAT PERV!" "BFF POWERS GO!" Megumi and Tsumugi walked over to Imadori and Karen, their eyes blazing, ready to attack. Megumi clenched Imadori's shoudler and, "GET...AWAY FROM HER..."

…...after school, in courtyard...

"We're sorry!" Megumi and Tsumugi were bowing deeply to Karen. "I can't believe you guys would do something like that!" Karen scolded. "We thought he was confessing love to you and we just couldn't stand it!" Tsumugi made a thin defense for themselves.

"That's not what he was doing at all! He was asking about my Oji's boat trip!" Karen said,(Blushing slightly) "W-What?" Megumi said sheepishly. "O-Oh..." There were a few moments of silence after that. "Anyway, speaking of that, I know I told you guys that you could come on the trip with me, but ya know how Imadori asked if he could come? Well...My Oji said yes." Karen said shyly.

"Oh...Um...that's ok." Tsumugi said, fighting back the urge to yell, _What? We've been talking about that for months! "_Gomen-Nasai." Karen said, looking at the ground, feeling ashamed that she let her friends down like that. "And they were so excited about it too." She thought.

Megumi got up and walked over to Karen. Karen looked up, afraid that she was about to yell at her, but instead she gently placed her hand on her shoulder. Karen could see through her long brown bangs, that her eyes were looking kind, and sympathetic, not angry, or cold.

"Really, It's ok Karen." Tsumugi looked up, surprised by this sudden act of kindness. "We understand that you really care for Imadori, and we want you to know that we'll always be here when you need us." She said, smiling gently. Tsumugi smiled as well, more to herself.

Tsumugi got up and joined Megumi in a group hug with Karen. When they finally broke apart, almost all of the students were gone from the courtyard, on their way home, or already there, griping about all of their homework.

Imadori was one of them. He got to his apartment and fell onto his bed. "Oh that's right, I have to call Ichi about tomorrow." He remembered. He pulled his cell-phone out of his pocket,(Which he always had on hand, so that he could text cute girls) and dialed her number.

It rang for a few moments before, "Hello?" "Hey, Ichi." He said boredly. "Oh, um...Hi, Ima...dori" Karen said nervously. "What? It's Imadori?" He heard a girl say from the background. And to his displeasure, he new the voice. "Hi Megumi!" He called tauntingly into the phone.

Imadori heard fussing as Megumi grabbed the phone out of Karen's hand and spoke in a creepy tone. "Don't "Hi Megumi" Me, you perv! You'll regret the day that you ever spoke to Karen!" More fussing as Karen tried to take the phone back.

"Megumi-chan! Stop it!" Karen panicked, obviously not wanting her to say anymore. Imadori guessed that she got the phone back because he could hear her voice clearly again. "Sorry about that Imadori-kun. Megumi and Tsumugi-chan are here." (In the back he could here Tsumugi saying, "Megumi-chan, what did we talk about?") "So what is it?" Karen asked shyly. "Oh yeah. I wanted to let you know that I'm coming over to your house tomorrow. I saw your little brother on the way home, and he asked me to come and play Dojibiron with him." He said.

Karen froze. "Um...what?" She said. "Yeah, so here's the warning that you were asking for. Bye!" He said this, before hanging up on her. Karen lowered the phone and spastically ran around her room picking stuff up yelling, "OH MY GOSH, IMADORI IS COMING TO MY HOUSE TOMORROW! I HAVE TO CLEAN!" Megumi and Tsumugi watched her, (a little bit frightened).

Karen paused and turned to them. Her eyes were wide and she looked as if she was about to feign. "HELP ME!" She yelled, throwing them a basket of cleaning supplies. All night they cleaned and scrubbed everything in the house that _was_ cleanable and scrub-able.

The next morning, Tsumugi and Megumi left early, since they didn't know when he was planning to arrive. Megumi pulled open the door, looking unpleasantly tired. And Tsumugi pushed her glasses up onto her nose before quickly putting her hair in the braided pigtails that she always did.

"Come on Tsumugi. I have to get home and sleep." Megumi growled, practically falling asleep standing up. "Just a minute." Tsumugi said, yawning. They put on their coats and walked outside. "It's getting chilly out" Tsumugi said.

"Yep! Winter is on it's way!" Megumi said, smiling. As they walked down the sidewalk, Karen waved from the door. "Sore dewa!" She called. "Domo Arigato!"

Karen smiled to herself as she closed the door. "I guess I'll take a shower, then. I wouldn't want to be smelly when he comes over!" She said, smiling again. She walked upstairs into her room. "Now where did I put that towel?" She thought. "Oh there it is!" She picked the towel up off her dresser and walked out into the hall.

Walking into the bathroom, her mind wondered into daydreams about her and Imadori. "Oww!" Karen had run into the door. Sighing, she opened the door and slid in quietly. The rest of her family was still asleep.

She turned on the shower and started pulling off her shirt. As she stripped, she wondered when he would come. She sat down on her little stool, and pulled the small braid out of her hair. As she washed it, she thought, "He'll probably come around noon or something, so I've got time."

Just then..."DING DONG!" Karen whipped her head around and stared at the bathroom door, as if she could see through it to the kitched door where the bell had rung. "YEAH! BLUE'S HERE!" She heard Kosuke scream.

"What? Kosuke's awake?" She thought. "Oh this isn't good." "Hey Blue!" She heard Kosuke and Imadori talking faintly since she was upstairs and they were down. "Whatever, there's no need to panic. I'll just finish my shower and get dressed normally. They'll be playing in Kosuke's room anyway."

She thought. "Just as long as he doesn't come in-" "Hey do you guys have a bathroom?" "Yeah It's right upstairs on the right!" "CREAK!" Karen whipped her head around to see Imadori standing there, his eyes changing from bored, to normal, to wide, and then, perhaps, was that, satisfaction?

Yes, it was. And Karen saw it. Her eyes darkened, and he raised his eyebrows. "IMADORI GET OUT YOU PERVERT!"


	4. Chapter 4

**OMG! FOURTH CHAPTER! (Feign) I can't believe it! I Totally rock! Anyway, thank you guys for all of your reviews, It really does make me happy that you guys like the story. And I think it's going in a good direction (If I do say so myself). Anyways, Enjoy my 4th chappy!**

**Chapter 4:**

Karen slowly opened the bathroom door before scanning the hall for any sign of Imadori. Seeing nothing involving him, she closed the door and wrapped a towel around herself. "Ugh, I'm so embarrassed!" She thought to herself.

When he had seen her, she had gone bright red, and couldn't find her discoloration letting up at all since. "I can't believe Imadori of all people saw me naked! And You could tell he was satisfied with himself too." She groaned before pulling open the bathroom door one last time and walking into the hall.

Pulling open her door, she tried to be as silent as possible so as not to get his attention from Kosuke's room. She quickly pulled on a yellow sundress and put the braid back into her hair.

She strutted over to her little brother's room. She could hear them laughing and playing inside of it. It was almost 9:00 a.m. Now. Karen opened the door, and bravely stepped into the room. As soon as she walked in, It went deadly quiet.

Until...

"Hey, Ichi!" "SLAP!" Imadori rubbed the red spot on his face. "Oh come on Ichi. It wasn't my fault, honestly!" He whined. "So why didn't you knock, or close the door?" Karen yelled, (Almost whimpering) back.

"I really didn't know that you were in there!" He said. "Anyway, do you guys have a pool?" Karen looked at him strangely. "Um...what?" "A pool. I have my swimsuit, and I was just wondering." He said.

"Yeah, we have a pool." Kosuke said excitedly. "Are we gonna go swimming, Blue?" Kosuke asked, jumping up and down. "I don't know, I guess that depends..." Imadori rolled his head around to look at Karen.

"Ichi, are we going swimming?" Imadori smiled kindly with this sentence. Karen returned the smile with a laugh. "Um...ok...let's go swimming!" Karen said brightly. Imadori and Kosuke started jumping up and down with joy. Imadori, a fifteen going on sixteen year old boy, was acting like a nine-year old, Kosuke's age. (Isn't he always?)

"Ok, Ichi! Now you have to leave, so we can put on our swim trunks!" Imadori laughed, attempting to shove Karen out of the room. (She didn't move an inch.) Imadori pushed and pushed. "Gosh Ichi, Why do you have to be so strong!" He complained, panting.

"Um...sorry?" Karen said timidly. She walked out of Kosuke's room to her own. "What a coincidence. Swimming? I mean, I guess that's not really a romantic type of thing, but oh well. It's good enough for me." She said to herself.

She slid the door shut and pulled open her drawers, revealing a dark green one-piece swimsuit to match her hair. After she put it on, she walked back over to Kosuke's room and was about to knock on the door when she heard, "Hey, what size cup is your sister?"

Darkness wallowed around Karen. She pulled the door open to say, "THAT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"

**20 minutes later...**

Imadori jumped into the pool for the 30th time, and made a large splash. "Um...Imadori-kun, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but my partner for the assignment Ms. Itoko gave us is going to be here soon, and It's just that I was kind of expecting you to come after he left so..." Karen called shyly from the door.

Imadori climbed out of the pool and picked up the towel off of the table and dried his arms and face off. "Don't worry about it. I'm gonna get going anyway." He said. "Oh...ok then..." Karen sighed, a little bit disappointed.

Imadori walked inside with his towel. "I'm gonna go change into my other pair of clothes!" He called over his shoulder. "OK!" Karen called back. Imadori trudged up the stairs with his ears full of water. "Which of these rooms was Kosuke's again?" He thought.

He decided to guess and walked into a room with purple wallpaper and a bed with polka-dot sheets.

"Oh, I guess this is Ichi's room." As Imadori made for the door, something caught his eye. On her dresser there was a picture frame.

In the picture, was Karen, Tsumugi and Megumi in their middle school uniforms. But there was also a boy standing with them. One of his arms was around Karen making bunny ears behind her head, and the other arm was around Tsumugi. (Megumi was making a funny face next to them)

Karen and Tsumugi were making the peace sign with their fingers. They were all smiling, but Imadori noted that Karen's smile was definitely the biggest and happiest. He picked up the picture to look at it closer. The boy had short brown hair, and dark blue eyes.

Imadori's eyes then switched from the boy to focus more on Karen. "Wow. I've never seen Ichi so happy..." He said to himself. Megumi and Tsumugi looked a little different, too. Instead of wearing her hair long and loose, Megumi wore her hair up in a loose bun. And Tsumugi, instead of pigtail braids, did just what Megumi did now. (Except a bit shorter and black instead of dark brown) Her hair was down to her upper-back and smooth looking.

Imadori smiled to himself. He noticed something engraved on the top and bottom. On the top: "Best Friends for life!" On the bottom: "March 10th, 2002" As Imadori stared at this he thought, "So they were in 9th grade when this was taken huh?"

**QUICK AUTHOR'S NOTE: for those who don't know, in Japan, ninth grade is the last grade of middle school/junior high. I don't know if it's the same for any of you or whatever. Because with me, 8th grade is last grade in middle school/junior high. So I thought I should point that out. OK, back to the story!**

Just then, Imadori heard the door-bell ring. He walked back downstairs to see who it was. "It's probably her partner." He thought. He saw Karen holding some fluffy towels, (Which she was going to take upstairs to Imadori). She hurried over to the door, towels still in hand.

When she opened the door, at first, Imadori could only see her back. But he heard her gasp, and the towels dropped to the floor as she jumped out the door. "Sarai!" She cried. Imadori now had a good look at the boy, as he hugged Karen. It was the boy in the photograph.

"Hey Karen!" He said, as he let go of Karen. "What are you doing here?" She asked excitedly. Imadori walked over to get a better view. He was wearing a red letter-man's jacket, and torn jeans. When he saw Imadori, he looked from him, to Karen, and then back to Imadori before smiling.

"I knew that you would find a boyfriend eventually, huh Karen?" He said, patting Karen on the back. "What? No, it's not like that-" Karen started. "Who are _you_?" Imadori said, a bit more rudely than he had intended. Karen now looked to Imadori, shocked by his words. "I-Imadori-kun!" She stuttered, trying to sound frustrated, although it was obvious she was just in total shock. "Ah, don't worry about it. He's the jealous type huh?" Sarai said, laughing.

He held out his hand smiling. "I'm Sarai Kizutso. Nice to meet you!" He said. Imadori shook it resentfully. "Uh...Kyousuke Imadori." Imadori said. "This guy really bugs me for some reason." Imadori thought. "So Ichi, is this your boyfriend? Where've you been hiding 'im all this time?" He said, trying to sound like he was really uninterested as possible.

"Hah! You've found yourself a new nickname Karen!" Sarai said, laughing. "Uh...not really. Imadori-kun is actually the only one that calls me that." Karen's eyes widened. She new that she had just made a mistake by telling Sarai this. "Aww! How sweet! A pet-name!" Sarai teased. Karen blushed deeply. "Come on Sarai! It's not _like_ that!" She whimpered. Sarai laughed at her dismay.

Once Sarai calmed down, he placed his hand on Karen's head in a caring way. "Oh, it's good to see you again Ichijou." She blushed again an smiled sweetly up at him. "Anyway, I'm just back in town with my family for a bit, and I thought that I should come and see you, Tsumugi and Megumi.

So how would you guys like to go see a movie with me this Friday?" Sarai asked, holding up four movie tickets.

Karen smiled excitedly. "Yes-Yes of course we will! Megumi and Tsumugi-chan are going to be so happy!" She exclaimed. "Whatever. I'm gonna go get dressed." Imadori thought. he walked back inside only saying, "See ya Kizutso." "Uh, yeah, see ya." Sarai said back.

Karen looked after him, worried. "What's _his_ problem?" Sarai asked. "I...don't know..." Karen said, confused. Sarai all of the sudden started making googly eyes again. "So have you kissed him yet

Karen-chan?" Karen blushed once more. "I TOLD YOU WE'RE NOT DATING!"

Yay! Chapter 4 is all done! I can't wait for the rest. PLEASE leave a review. (I'm literally down on my knees right now while typing this.((I have a low desk top)) )


	5. Chapter 5

Imadori trudged down the stairs glaring down towards the floor. When he entered the kitchen, there was Karen sitting at the counter, smiling to herself. To Imadori it looked like she was almost half asleep. "Ichi?" Imadori cautiously tapped on her shoulder, like he was testing a bomb that he thought was going to explode.

"H-Hai?" She jumped suddenly and whipped her head around to look at him, at first shocked, but she then smiled a fake smile. "Oh hi Imadori-kun!" Even though she looked right at him, it felt to Kyouske as though she was looking right through him, because she was obviously still deep in thought of whatever she had been thinking about.

"Hey, who was that guy?" He asked, as usual pretending that he didn't really care. Karen instantly blushed. "Oh, he was...a friend of mine...yeah, a really good friend of mine back in Middle School. But at the end of our last year he moved, and I hadn't seen him again until now." She said, falling back into thought, looking sad. As if she was about to cry.

"Hmm..." Imadori stared out the window thinking, but his thoughts were interrupted when a black car pulled up outside. "Hey, somebody's here." Karen fell out of her daze and turned to the window. "Oh, it's probably my partner for the project!" She cried hurrying around, collecting Imadori's things and almost throwing them at him out of surprise.

Karen ran to the door. Before opening it she tossed Kyouske's bag at him and said, "Sorry about rushing you out like this." As she pulled it open he answered back, "Whatever, I'm busy anyway. Have fun on your date with Sarai!" Imadori said in a teasing voice that he was using to cover up some other emotion, that Kyouske wasn't really sure what it was, but even though he had a pretty good idea of it, he refused to believe it was true.

Karen once again blushed and cried, "It's not even a date! Tsumugi and Megumi are coming too!" But her face grew into a smile as Imadori walked down the cement path to the sidewalk. "Still...thank you... I _will_ have a good time..." She whispered to herself.

Imadori vanished around the corner just as Ganji Nishimoto's fat figure climbed out of the car. "Hi Nishimoto-San!" Karen called, waving, as he walked up to her front door. He walked in, and looked around, handing his heavy coat to Karen.

Karen laughed awkwardly. "It's a bit warm out to be wearing this thick a jacket you know!" She hung it on a hook near the door and hurried over to him, as he was already exploring her kitchen. "Um...would you like something to drink?"

"Yes, I'll take tea if you don't mind." He said sitting at the counter where She had been sitting minutes ago. As she made tea, her doorbell rang again that day, and almost hoping that it was Sarai again, she pulled it open.

But, to her disappointment, It was Kyouske Imadori back again. "Oh, uh, Imadori-kun! You're back!" Imadori invited himself in and walked into the kitchen to pick up a piece of clothing off a chair. "I just forgot my other pair of pants back here is all." Nishimoto's eyes narrowed in suspicion as Imadori walked back out.

Karen stared after him in a daze. She couldn't help but think that he was... _angry_ at her for some reason. She wandered back over to the stove after closing the door. "So..._Imadori_ was here?" Ganji asked suspiciously. "Yes he was here for a little while." Karen had no idea that this one little sentence could cause there to be so much gossip. But she found out otherwise the next day at school...

"Hey! Imadori-kun!" Karen hurried happily over to Kyouske Imadori. He looked almost annoyed when he turned to her. "Oh...yeah, hey Ichi..." He said. "What-What's wrong Imadori-kun? You seem...depressed..."

He glanced briefly at her before looking straight again. "I-Imadori-kun...?" His face suddenly Turned into a big goofy smile (That was somehow fake-) and he looked over to her as they approached the High School. "Nothing's wrong, I'm just thinking about seeing the Big D today!"

Karen looked confused. "Um...The big...D?..." Imadori clasped his hands behind his head, And his smile grew. "You know, Miko! The big D!" Karen blushed deeply, realizing what he meant. "I-Imadori-kun! That's perverted!"

As they walked down the halls, students pointed,whispered and stared. Imadori seemed not bothered by it. The atmosphere didn't change when they entered the classroom. All the laughter and chatter stopped when they strolled into the room.

"Nice going Kyouske!" Karen heard one boy saying in the corner. "I didn't think Ichijou would go through with it!" She heard from another. But then one whispered to his friends, "Apparently Ichijou's more of a tramp than we thought! I saw another boy leaving her house yesterday too!" At this, Imadori strode over to a girl's desk, Kozue Mihara, and said, "Hey Kozue-chan, wanna go on a date with me this Friday?"

Karen felt as if she had just been slapped in the face. As if 1,000 100 pound weights had just been dropped onto her. "Um...sure..." Kozue answered happily, yet confused. All of class that morning was a blur to Karen. She felt as if she was going to cry.

At lunch Mikoto hurried over to Karen, Tenma close behind her, followed by the others. Mikoto grabbed Karen by the shoulders and looked at her with a serious face. "Ichijou, tell me it isn't true!" Karen didn't know what to say. Eri looked shocked, and Tenma looked as though she was about to pass out from excitement.

"What? What are you talking about?" Karen asked quickly. Tenma put her face up close to Karen's. "Did you and Imadori _really_ go all the way!" Karen blushed a deeper shade of red than she had ever before. "W-WHAT!" Everyone in the class room looked at her for a moment before going back to their conversatios. "NO! NO, THAT'S NOT TRUE AT ALL! HOW COULD YOU EVEN _ASK_ SOMETHING LIKE THAT!"

Eri's face went back to it's selfish, serious look. "Well that's the rumor that's flying around." Karen opened her mouth to yell again, but Akira slapped her hand over her mouth and said quietly, "We'll talk about this later. Now isn't the time." She glared at all of the people staring.

Just then... "EVERYBODY MOVE!" Megumi shoved through the crowd of students, Tsumugi close behind her looking pale, and as though she was going to faint. Megumi pointed her finger at Karen questioningly. "Karen it isn't true is it?" Karen blushed and thought, "It really _is_ spreading around!" Tsumugi gasped. "SO IT IS! OH THAT PUNK IS SOO DEAD!"

Megumi charged over to Imadori, then she grabbed him by the shirt, looking angry enough to cry. "IMADORI I'VE PUT UP WITH YOU FOR A LONG TIME," Tsumugi chimed in, "Too long-" "BUT NOW YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR!" Imadori looked at her like she was crazy. "Huh?"

"Wait! Megumi-chan stop! Nothing happened!" Karen ran over pulling Megumi off of Imadori with ease. Megumi stared at Karen. "Wait what? Nothing? Nothing...at all?" Karen accidentally let out a few tears when she yelled, "NO! NOTHING AT ALL!" (Nobody noticed her tears yet) Suddenly Megumi started back up on Imadori.

"SO YOU DIDN'T EVEN HAVE ENOUGH GUTS FOR THAT! WHAT KIND OF MAN ARE YOU!" Tsumugi looked to be on the verge of collapsing. "Um, Megumi-chan? That's not really the point we're trying to get across..."

Mikoto joined in now. "Wait, so seriously, you didn't try anything?" She asked Imadori. "I have no idea what any of you are talking about." He replied. Eri started in, walking up next to Mikoto. "Well the rumor is that Nishimoto was at her house and Imadori came in to collect his 'Other Pair of Pants'. " "So?" Imadori asked. "So, now everyone thinks that... you know..." Mikoto said. Imadori suddenly seemed to get it. "Oh no..." He groaned and covered his face with his hands.

At this, Karen broke down into tears next to her desk. "Uh-Karen-chan!" "Ichijou! What's wrong?" "Are you ok?" "Karen, what happened?" They all gathered around her, all except Imadori. He just watched her, almost glaring at her as she cried. "I-I'm so sorry-Ima-dori k-kun!" She gasped. "N-Now I've ruined e-everything!"

"Whatever," He said coolly. "It'll be corrected soon enough anyway when everybody sees you on your date with _Sarai_. Your apology means very little to me until then." Karen felt like her heart had just been ripped out. At this point, Karen ran out of the room crying. Megumi and Tsumugi ran after her, and Mikoto and Eri stayed to pound on Imadori. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!" Mikoto yelled angrily. "YEAH, WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT!" Eri started.

With all the yelling, nobody noticed a slight grin crawl across Akira's face. "I think I smell jealousy in the air..."

**YAY! AKIRA IS SO AWESOME! So, FIFTH CHAPTER! EEEEK! PLEASE REVIEW! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Something happened with my friend, so I was interrupted for ****a while.** **REVIEWS!**

**-Team Anime**


	6. Chapter 6

**Ok! Sixth Chappy! I'M SO EXCITED! Ok, please read on, and enjoy! Oh, by the way, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to cut out the whole boat trip thing. I know that you guys have been waiting for that but I'm sorry. It's mostly because I don't have any entertaining ideas for it. But if you have a good idea just go to my profile and PM me. (Please make it your username. I don't know if there is anonymouse Pm's, but if that is an option, please use your pen name so I can give proper credit.) If I decide to use your idea, I'll be sure to give you all of your credit. The deadline for ideas will be October 1st. That's when I'll decide which idea i'll use, or if I'm just going to cut it out. It's your choice! Please don't be shy! I'd love to hear what you think! WARNING: An Eri X Mikoto pairing is hinted in this chapter. I may end up doing a romance story about these two next. I've never really thought about it. It's kind of a unique pairing isn't it? I kind of like it. Anyway, let's get back to THIS story. Enjoy!**

Karen rubbed her eyes as she looked into the mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy. She sighed, walking out of the girls' bathroom. To her dismay, she looked out the window and saw rain. The school seemed deserted. She had guessed that everyone had already gone home.

Suddenly, Karen heard voices whispering towards the end of the corridor. She hid behind the wall of the bathroom and peeked around the corner. "Seriously Imadori, listen to me!" It was Mikoto talking to Imadori.

At first Karen hadn't recognized there figures because the hallway was so dark. It was only lit by the faint light that was still outside, but was fading as the dark clouds covered the sky. "I've heard enough Suou!" Imadori said to Mikoto. "Well I _haven't_!" She yelled, pinning him against the wall. Karen gasped.

"Now you listen, this is obviously bothering you. Now she obviously likes you. It's been made clear to you several times. This guy is in the way of _your_ love with her, so you don't like him. That's normal!" She said.

_'Who is she talking about?' _Karen thought_. _"Mikoto, what are you talking about? I don't _love_ anybody! Especially not Ichi!" Karen froze. _'She was talking about...me?' _ She thought, horrified. "Of course you do! I mean, you guys are always hanging around eachother. It's only natural. You shouldn't be ashamed."

At this, Imadori shoved Mikoto off of him violently. "_Would you quit it!_" He spat. "_What_ is so _terrible_ about Ichijou!" Mikoto asked, still looking a bit shocked. "It's none of your business. Karen is way to scrawny, flat, and shy. I like more confident women, like you Miko!"

At this, Karen decided to build up her nerve. She didn't care what either one thought of her afterwords. Her mind was a blur. She couldn't even think straight. Karen stumbled quietly around the corner. When Mikoto and Imadori saw her, she could immediately tell they both wanted to take back everything they had just said...

**Mikoto's POV:**

_Her eyes are a cold black..._

**Imadori's POV:**

_A dark shadow seems to swarm around her..._

**Mikoto and Imadori:**

_All usual brightness from her face... gone..._

**Third Person POV:**

Nobody said anything. There was a flash of lightning outside the window before Karen whipped off around the corner, unable to hold her sobs in for any longer, although big wet tears had already been streaming down.

"Ichijou!" Mikoto ran to the corner where she had disappeared before skidding to a halt, and turning to look at Imadori. "Come on! Aren't you going after her!" Mikoto watched in shock, as Imadori slowly turned around, and started walking down the hallway in the other direction.

Mikoto growled to herself. "I'M DISGUSTED!" She screamed as he disappeared around the corner. "Crap!" Mikoto ran down each hallway searching each classroom hurriedly for Karen. To her surprise she felt an odd sensation on her cheek.

Mikoto put her finger on it, and caught a drop of something wet. For some reason she had allowed a couple tears to slip out herself, getting desperate to find Karen...

…...

Imadori ran his fingers through his wet hair as the rain pounded down on him. He looked up at the dark clouds and was blinded with water...

… "_Imadori-kun?" Karen asked timidly. "Yeah, what is it?" I asked. Ichi blushed, it seemed like she was surprised that I talked to her for some reason. She then smiled sweetly. "Let's do our best on the Cavalry Battle OK?" _

…

"_Ichi, why do you always work out? It's so much work!" I said to her, as she stood up from stretching her legs. "Well Imadori-kun um, I workout because I have to stay in shape for wrestling. But you know, I'm not working out right now. I'm stretching. This is gym class Imadori-kun, you should probably stretch too..."_

_..._

Imadori smiled to himself. "Hey! Imadori! What are you doing her out in the rain?" Imadori looked forward. Standing there, under an umbrella, was Eri Sawachika. "Oh, Sawachika." He said, walking over to her. "What's wrong with you? You're soaking wet!" She said, standing a bit closer to him, and shielding him from the rain with her umbrella.

"Never mind me, what are _you_ doing out here?" Imadori asked. "_I_ was on my way back to the school to find Mikoto." She said in a '_it's none of your business_' way. "She probably isn't there now." He said, glancing back in the school's direction.

"What? Where would she have gone? Back to Hanai's dojo?" Eri asked, looking around her worriedly. "Why? You er' girlfriend or something?" Imadori asked, rubbing his eyes. Eri blushed. "WHAT! No! That's-!" Eri swallowed and attempted to regain her attitude.

"Ugh, don't be stupid. I just wanted to remind her that Tenma wanted her to come over for a study session. That's all." She said, flipping her pigtail over her shoulder. "Uh, sure...but... I was just kidding you know..." Imadori said, surprised at her embarrassment.

"Well- whatever. Where is she?" She asked (blushing slightly again). "Probably at the dojo. Just like you said." He lied, remembering the situation. "Well, are you going to be able to make it back to your house alright?" She asked, handing him the umbrella. "Why? Where are you going?" Imadori asked suspiciously. "I'm going to find Mikoto." She answered, wrapping her expensive coat tightly around her.

"You know Imadori... I think Mikoto really wants to help you out with this thing about Karen. I can tell. Mikoto is one of my best friends..." Eri smiled to herself before continuing. "She just isn't really approaching you in the right manner, I guess." She paused and as her face turned more serious she examined Imadori's face.

Imadori stared intently at her thinking about her words. "Either way, you really need to get your feelings straight, because your putting Karen through a lot of pain. You can either decide you don't like her, and go on with your life, never to talk to Karen again... Or...You can admit that you love her and live happily ever after." Imadori fell out of his daze at the end of her sentences because she walked out from under the umbrella into the rain.

"Hey! Don't you need this?" Imadori called pointing to the umbrella. "No! It'll only get in my way! You can give it back to me at school!" She called back, running off and disappearing in the rain...

YAY! By the way, I am so terribly sorry. I admit...~whisper~ I didn't do any writing over the weekend! ~normal voice~ I'M SO SORRY! I'M A TERRIBLE PERSON! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! ~sob~ Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing your ideas. So remember, just go to my profile and PM me. THANKS!

-Team Anime


	7. Author's Note:My Bad!

**Author's Note:**

**Hey Guys! Sorry to interupt! I'm just letting you know, that I'm extending the due date for the boat trip thing to October 31st (My birthday! Yes, my birthday _is_ on Halloween) since I was so slow in writing that I didn't post the last chappy until a day before the due date. So sorry about that! ~laughs nervously~ Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing your ideas! Thanks!**

**-Team Anime**


	8. Sweeter than Heaven and hotter than hell

**CHAPTER 7! OH YEAH! This is awesome! Ok, this is the chapter where things get super extremely dramatic. At first I was thinking that I should wait a little longer to do this part, but I just can't wait! OK, enjoy my super extremely dramatic chapter part 1 of 2 ( the next one is super dramatic too). BTW, this one even has a title because it's so dramatic! The title comes from the song, if you know it. By Florence and the Machine. I just thought it fit well.**

**Chapter 7: Sweeter than Heaven and Hotter than Hell**

'Bzz! Bzz! Bzz!' Karen ignored the continuous ringing of her cellphone. She was lying on her bed, face down, unable to move after collapsing there. 'Suou calling! Suou calling! Suou calling!' The voice on her phone said. Karen cringed just thinking about it. The last person she wanted to talk to right now was Mikoto. No...that wasn't true. _Kyousuke_ was the last person she wanted to talk to.

All the same, Karen ignored it. "I should just-just stay from Imadori-kun from now on since...since..." Karen couldn't say it. Once again, she allowed her sobs to continue. Just as everything started to blur, she noticed the picture that sat on her desk. She stopped crying, and walked slowly over to it. Karen smiled slightly, as she picked it up to look closer.

She swallowed and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Nevermind Imadori-kun. If-If he wants Mikoto he can be with Mikoto. But I have to get ready for tomorrow! Tsu-chan, and Megu-chan and I are going to the movies with Sarai-kun tomorrow." She said to herself. Karen was already pulling open her drawers looking for the best thing to wear until she found it. "Oh, that's perfect!"

…...

'Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!' Karen pressed the button on her alarm just as she did every single day. She climbed out of her bed, and pulled on her school uniform silently. "I just have to make it through the school day, and then I can go to the theater," She whispered to herself.

Up until lunch, Karen was fine. But then, she ran into Imadori while looking for Tsumugi and Megumi. Karen glared at the ground, refusing to look up into his wonderful eyes. "So...today's your date with Kozue-chan." She said, not even thinking about being polite.

"Yeah, and today's your date with Sarai." He responded dully. "_It's not a date,_" Karen responded immediately, and rather rudely. Imadori was also looking at the floor. "You're right..." Karen's eyes widened. She had expected him to say something rude and thoughtless, but she was wrong. And his next sentence threw her off completely. "Have a good time..."

She hated that she felt somewhat guilty as he walked away from her, his hands in his pockets. Karen now wasn't as enthusiastic when she found Tsumugi and Megumi as she hoped she would've been. "Hey Karen-chan, we have something we need to tell you." Megumi said. 'What now?' Karen thought. "We can't go to the movies with you today. I have a basketball game and Tsumugi has a band practice. But, tell Sarai that we said hi and that he should visit again sometime!"

This only added on to Karen's misery. Now she would have to go see Sarai by herself. And since she was going to be the only one, this really was going to be like a date! Karen laid on her bed thinking about this. "No...I promised myself that I wouldn't go through this with him again. Not again..." Karen whispered to herself. The tears had already started forming but she had wiped them away before she could release them.

"No, this is _not_ a date. You're just going to see your old friend. What's so terrible about that?" She thought this as she pulled on the outfit she had picked out. It was a beautiful pink and blue flowered dress. "This is _not_ a date..."

…...

Karen entered the theater and looked around to see where Sarai was. When she found him standing in one of the corners of the room, he tried to hug Karen, but didn't succeed because Karen shied away from him. '_I won't let it happen again_," She thought.

…

_Karen stood in the empty classroom of the Yagami Junior High School waiting for the boy who had put the love letter in her locker. "I wonder if I know him," She wondered out loud. Just then, to her surprise, Kizutso Sarai walked in. "Huh? Sarai-kun? What are you doing here?" Karen's heart had skipped a beat as he had walked in. "Uh...Hey Ichijou." He said nervously._

_Karen backed up as he came near her, soon feeling the wall against her back. "Uh, we've been best friends for a long time...haven't we Ichijou?" He started, finally looking her in the eyes. Karen felt like they were battling, to see who would drop their gaze first._

"_Y-Yes...we have..." She said shyly. Karen's heart started beating faster and faster with each step he took towards her until his face was very close to hers. "Karen...would you be my girlfriend...?" Karen looked wide-eyed into his as his face moved even closer until their lips weren't even a full inch apart. "Yes...I will Sarai." Karen murmured this, before their lips finally met, and it felt to Karen like a dream. But...dreams always end eventually..._

…_..._

_Sarai patted Karen's back nervously as she threw up once again into the wastepaper basket beside her hospital bed. "Karen, you should go to sleep. Don't push yourself too hard..." He whispered. He had just stopped her from trying to get up. "But...I need...to get to school..." She murmured, as she laid her head back down on her pillow and closed her eyes._

"_Mr. Kisutso? May I speak with you out in the hall?" Karen's doctor poked her head in and then went back outside. Sarai walked out and his face fell as the doctor talked to him. "Uh, Mr. Kizutso...you see the thing is, that...all of Karen's symptoms are signs of...well...pregnancy..." Sarai's eyes widened and he thought that she might be joking._

"_Wait...w-what? That-That's impossible, that would mean that Karen and I would've had to..." He didn't finish his sentence. "But...But nothing like that ever happened! We're only in 9__th__ grade!" He said, a bit louder than he had meant. He heard Karen turn over in the hospital room. _

"_Mr. Kizutso, you probably just don't remember. It's perfectly normal to-" "DON'T even FINISH that..." Sarai said, looking at the floor. This was impossible. What would Karen say when it came time to tell her? She would hate him forever! "Uh...Mr. Kizutso? I may be wrong though. You should probably have her tested." The doctor said._

_Sarai's head snapped up. "Wait, you mean there's a chance that Karen isn't pregnant?" The doctor nodded. "Then, yes...test Karen." This was when the doctor looked away from him. "Well Mr. Kizutso unfortunately Karen is too sick to do the test now. We'll probably have to wait a few weeks until she's a bit better. _

_Sarai gaped at her. "Every week we wait there could be a-" He lowered his voice. "A 'child' growing inside of Karen. We can't wait!" The doctor's face turned a bit more serious. "I'm sorry Mr. Kizutso, but I'm not allowed," Sarai opened his mouth to argue, but knew there was no point. He turned his head and saw sweet innocent Karen sleeping away in her bed, Having no idea that at that very moment a baby might be forming inside her. _

"_Alright, thank you..." Sarai walked back into Karen's room and sat down on her bed slowly. He could have just ruined Karen's life forever..._

**SO? SUPER DRAMATIC RIGHT? I'm so excited! Just wait. The next chapter, you're gonna be like, 'OMG, this is the most dramatic fanfic EVER!' ~squeals with delight~ PLEASE REVIEW! Next chapter you'll find out if Karen's was pregnant or not, and then Karen may have to comfort Imadori when he finds out he just made the biggest mistake of his life! REVIEWS!**


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